Wilmington Groups Receive Donations, Grants

South State Bank donated $5,000 to The Harrelson Center. The donation will be used to support the expansion and renovation of The Harrelson Center’s facility, according to a news release.

“We are proud to be able to support this worthwhile project to benefit the residents of our local community,” said Mark Tyler, president for South State Bank’s Wilmington region.

The Harrelson Center is a nonprofit center that works to offer safe and affordable housing, education, employment, health care and family support to local customers, according to the release.

In December, the Wilmington Regional Association of Realtors (WRAR) donated more than $5,000 worth of food and appliances to Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, according to a news release.

Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard is a volunteer organization that serves those who are hungry in the Wilmington area via distribution of emergency food, according to its website.

The Community Affairs Committee at WRAR is responsible for starting the Christmas Crescendo, which is an initiative of FeedILM, a movement created by WRAR to help raise funds for Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard. As part of the Christmas Crescendo, the WRAR board of directors donated $5,000. It then challenged members to match its donation, according to the release.

“Most of us have so many blessings and to be able to provide a little happiness for others during the holidays is what it is all about,” said Bobby Jean Harvey, WRAR’s 2015 Community Affairs Committee chairman.

The funding was given to aid the alliance’s Mobile Simulation Program (MSP), and more specifically to purchase a cargo van to meet the growing training needs of medical professionals working within the region, according to a news release.

The purchase of an additional vehicle will increase accessibility to training opportunities and make the program more versatile, according to the release.

“As the MSP continues to grow, we have struggled with the need to be in two places at once,” said Deb Stokes, manager of the MSP. “An additional vehicle will enable us to train at multiple facilities at once.”